Scarecastle Tunnel

Skeletons emerge from a graveyard beside the tunnel entrance, pumpkins smile eerily from every corner, and local families bravely dare to ride our ghost boat into the dank, dark tunnel! Welcome to Scarecastle!

We’ve been running this scarily popular event for five years now, ever since Simon Martin our area operations manager came up with the idea in 2019. From terrifying 382 people over three nights, the event has grown to over five fright nights for nearly 700 visitors from Stoke-on-Trent and beyond, last year.

Come along and join us this year and you can board the boat for a 40-minute ride through the tunnel, helmed by a grim reaper or a skeleton. Scarecastle is a free event to give people in the local community an opportunity to experience our waterways; something they may not be able to do otherwise. We do, of course, welcome any donations from attendees to help support this event. We run trips every hour between 2 pm and 9 pm, accommodating up to 144 people a day.

Our deckhands will answer any questions or tell tall tales of spooky stories of the tunnel. Lights may flicker on and off, chains will rattle, and the moaning cries of the Kidsgrove Boggart may be heard as she haunts the tunnel looking for her head…Some say this legendary spirit is a woman, murdered by boatmen as she travelled to London through the Harecastle Tunnel, but you’ll have to come along to discover the truth of the story.

Also, on-site we have the local boat traders ‘Barge-in booze’ and the B’oatcake selling Stoke’s famous local delicacies and drinks.

There’s also plenty of photo opportunities, including taking the chance to meet the Grim Reaper, played brilliantly by our volunteer Peter Howton. Is he a dummy or is he real? With just one tap on your shoulder, you’ll soon find out with a squeal or a shudder!

As the kids get busy with Halloween and canal-themed colouring sheets, and face painting, you can stroll around the site, to visit our graveyard where all the headstones are a nod to people connected to the tunnel historically or presently. Or you can follow our Trick or Treat Trail hunting for answers about the tunnel’s spooky history.

You only need to look at our facebook reviews, to understand how much the event means to local people. Last year one visitor told us: “My Father and I had a great time last night. He worked on the Shropshire Union Canal and his job took him to the North end of the tunnel, but he’d never been through. Last night we travelled through Scarecastle Tunnel, and he was overwhelmed by his experience. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the staff who made my father’s night fantastic. Well done to all of you!”.

We’d love you to join us during the half-term and weekend run up to Halloween this year, but you’ll have to be quick because this tickets do sell out in just a matter of hours, so to secure your scare, please follow our Harecastle Tunnel's facebook page now. We’ll let you know as soon as tickets are available.